Ex3: Artistic Languages of Today
by Sonia Brodi (University of Florence)
Florence is a city of many faces, and, due to convention, it is easy to associate it with ancient and Renaissance art, but Ex3 is something else altogether. It is an important contemporary art exhibition center that welcomes and supports, with great dynamism and efficiency, emerging artists from all over the world. It also promotes interesting initiatives, using its spaces to host cultural events and concerts. Subsequently, it is an active and up-to-date place, especially open to young people.
To start off, let us first address the meaning of its concise name: Ex stands for “exhibition” and the number 3 refers to its location in District 3. In fact, it stands on the former site of the auditorium of Gavinana, on Via Giannotti 81. Walking down the street, one can clearly see its modern and linear outlines, along with its nice bright green logo. Upon entering, one and an installation overhead with a gray stylized bird in flight. In addition, there is a bar on the right, and, in fact, the center hosts numerous evening events, such as band concerts and D.J. sets. There are three exhibition halls, with the elegant Main Room, located in the center, being the largest. Unfortunately, during my visit, the Main Room was closed for the installation of a new exhibition. There are then two side rooms, which, like the rest of the building, are painted white or gray. Until January 6, 2012, these two rooms will host two exhibitions dedicated to the work of foreign artists who belong to BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China), an association to which Ex3 chose to devote its attention. Brazil, Russia, India, and China are all countries whose economic wealth has grown in recent years, leading to a series of unsettling and inevitable changes, on a practical and objective level, as well as on an emotional and subjective one.
In the room to the right, there is a video installation by Russian artist Victor Alimpiev: “Vot”. The room is plunged into darkness and there are black benches on which to sit and watch the big screen. I don’t want to give away all the contents of the movie, but I will tell you that the work itself contains diverse art forms (music, theater, painting) and that there are five people, two men and three women, who maintain a running commentary in French. It is like listening to a Gregorian chant while admiring a Caravaggio painting at the same time. The protagonists are, in fact, surrounded by a black background, and are lost in thought and deep in concentration, almost as if they are suspended in another reality. In addition, the contrast of light and shadow plays an important role.
In the left side room, after travelling down a short hallway, we come to an exhibition with the work of two Chinese artists: Song Tao and Ji Weiyu, together known as “Birdhead.” Their project, “Xin Cun”, presents a series of photographs and a video that show the extreme and inescapable changes to which Shanghai is being, and has been, subjected.The layout is simple and clear. The interiors are optimal for hosting every type of exhibition, for they are neutral and austere, so that they do not stun the visitors and do not risk distracting them or cause them to lose their attention. For the “Xin Cun” show, black-and-white photographs, some quite large, are placed in the first room. On one of the short side walls, you can see black writing that is supposed to be the signatures of the two artists. In a second room, there is a video projection with shots of the city and of the two photographers while they work and seek inspiration from their surroundings.
Ex3 is certainly a place that is not to be missed and that merits repeated visits, given the number of possibilities that it offers.
For more information, refer to the official website: http://www.ex3.it/
